Minister of the Environment Koizumi, who participated in the G20 ministerial meeting on climate change issues in 20 major countries in Italy, said in an interview with NHK on the 24th, "The need for climate change countermeasures is even among emerging countries. I have definitely deepened my understanding, "he said, saying that international cooperation on decarbonization will proceed toward COP26 in the fall.
This conference will be held in front of the UN General Assembly and the G20 Summit scheduled for this fall, the international conference on climate change countermeasures, COP26, etc., and attention will be paid to the extent to which the G20 can cooperate toward the realization of a carbon-free society. it was done.
However, opposition from China and others could not reach an agreement on the abolition of coal-fired power generation, which is the biggest cause of temperature rise.
"Many emerging economies understand the need for climate change, and there must be a gap between developing countries," Koizumi said in an interview after the meeting. He acknowledged that emerging economies are not all opposed to decarbonizing efforts, such as the abolition of coal-fired power.
He also expressed his hope that future negotiations would be easier as it became clear what was hindering the agreement in the decarbonization efforts.
On top of that, he said that support from developed countries is indispensable for developing countries that are highly dependent on fossil fuels, and that Japan would like to contribute to human resource development and information provision in addition to economic and technical support. I did.
He also argued that Japan's concrete efforts, such as the policy to stop financial support for coal-fired power, have been highly evaluated for the criticism that Japan has been reluctant to abolish coal-fired power. He emphasized that "the disgraceful reputation of Japan when it comes to coal has been wiped out."